Pressure-responsive switch for gas-flow alarms



June 2, 1925.

H. CAPPELLANTI PRESSURE RESPONSIVE SWITCH FOR GAS FLOW ALARMS I Filed Fe13, 924

m we mfoz 9%maa Patented June 2, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY CAIPELLANTI, OF MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA.

PRESSURE-RESPONSIVE SWITCH FOR GAs-FLow ALAiRMs.

Application filed February 13, 1924. Serial No. 692,570.

and State of West Virginia, has invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Pressure-Responsive Switches for Gas-Flow Alarms, ofwhich the following is. a specification.

This invention relates to a pressure responsive switch for gas flowalarms and it consists in the novel features hereinafter described andclaimed.

An object of the invention is to provide apparatus adapted to be usedfor controlling the flow of gas, water, steam, air, gasoline, oil andother fluids in .a manner to sound an alarmwhen the flow is interruptedor cut oil and to sound the alarm in the event that the pressure of thefluid becomes abnormal and in excess of the degree, which ispredetermined, and to which the fluid is subjected to perform itsfunctions when in use. Vith the above object in view, the flow alarmcomprises a body adapted to be connected with the pipe through -whichthe fluid passes and havin a chamber with an inlet and anoutlet-opening, and a septum wall located in the chamber and forming acavity therein, the said septum wall being provided at its side with aseries of openlngsjor an opening through which the fiuid'may passdirectly from the inlet to the outlet opening of the body when the fluidis subjected to a normal degree of presure. A valve is arranged to closeover the inlet opening of the body when the pressure of the fluid fallsbe low the normal d A plan er is connected with the stem of the va veand is located in the cavity and is adapted to move over the saidopening or openings in the septum wall to increase or decrease the areaof the p way through the wall as the pressure of t e fluidvaries;

An indicatoris mounted. upon the body and the stem of the said valve ismoved along the indicator and serves as means for showin the degree ofpressure to which the fluid w ieh is through .the body is sub within thebod and are electrically connected with a p ug adapted to be connectedwith an electric circuit and an alarm bell. A contact member is carriedby the stem'of the valve and disposed between the terminals-and isadapted to engage one ior the other of the terminals when the pressureof the fluid is increased or' reduced to ab: normal condition therebycompleting the same thuh giving an audible alarm that the pressure ofthe'fluid passing through the body is other than normal. Means areprovided upon the body and engageable' with the said contact which maybe manually manipulated for moving the vali'e'stem to move the valveaway from the inlet opening and to move the plunger from over the innerend of the opening in the septum wall or over the inner ends of some ofthe openings therein.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the gas flow alarm showing theelectric circuits and apparatus in diagram. V

Figure 2 is .a detailed vertical sectional. view of a fragment of amodified form of the flow alarm.

Figure 3 is an edge elevation of a modified form of switch.

The gas 01- liquid flow alarm apparatus comprises a body '1 havingan'interiorly located chamber 2 with a gas inlet flow. opening 3 passingthrough one side of the body and agas outlet flow o ening 4 located inan adjacent side 9f the body 1, both of the said openings communicatingwith. the chamber 2 attheir inner ends. A septum wall 5 is locatedwithin the chamber 2 and is a part of the body 1. The wall 5 partiallysurrounds the opening 3 and is provided at points below its upper edgewith transverselvdisposed openings 6,'or in lieu of a electric circuitof the bell and sounding the series of openings 6 as illustrated inFigure 1 of the drawing, a single opening may be provided if desired orrequired.v A plug 7 is screwed into the body 1 and forms a portion ofthe top side of thechamber 2.

he plu 7 is disposed centrally over the axis of t e opening 3.

' A plunger 8 in the form of aninverted cup is slidably mounted in thecavity formed within the chamber 2 and at the side of the septum wall5and is disposed above the inlet opening 3. A stem rod 9 is attached isextended downinto the same and carries at its lower end a valve member10 adapted to engage a valve seat 11 provided within the body opening 3.

The plug 7 is disposed transversely of the 1 and at the upper end of theto the center of the of the said piston and 1 Y vided a series ofgradu'ations 15 and by observing the'rod in conjunction with the saidgraduations, it may be determined. to what extent the stem'or rod 9 andthe valve 10 and piston 8 have been moved with relation to the fixedparts and featuresof the body 1. A disk 16 is mounted upon the rod 9 anda coil spring 17 is interposed between the cap 13 and the disk and isunder tension with a tendency to hold the rod in a lowered position andthe valve 10 toward the seat 11.

Spaced electric terminals 18 and 19 pass transversely through the sideof thebody 1 and their inner ends are located in the path of movement ofthe disk 16 which forms an electric contact member. Wires 20 and 21 areconnected with the terminals 18 and 19 respectively, and the wire 21 isconnected with the wire 20, as best shown in Figure 1 of the drawing.The wire 21 is connected with a plug 22 which may be inserted in thesocket of an open electric circuit (not shown) in a usual manner, andthe said plug 22 is connected by a wire 23 with an electrically operatedbell 24. A wire 25 connects the bell 24 with the body 1. The disk 16,rod 9 and plug 7 and body 1 are good electrical conductors and theterminals 18 and 19 are insulated from the body 1 by means of insulatinmembers 26. A bell crank lever 27 is pivoted in the chamber 12 and oneof its arms is disposed under the disk 16 and in the path of movementthereof. The other arm of the said bell crank lever. normally hangsvertically. A push rod. 28 passes transversely through the side of thebody 1 and is provided at its inner ortion with a disk 29 which bearsagainst t e-side edge of the vertical arm of the bell'crank lever 27 Aspring 30 is interposed between the side of the body 1 and the disk 29and serves to hold the disk 29 in contact with the side edge of thevertical arm of the lever 27.

The 0 eration of the apparatus is as follows. was under pressure flowsthrough the inlet opening 3- and lifts the valve 10 off of the seat 11.The gas then flows under the intermediate portion of the piston 8 andthe piston is moved in ,an upward direction carryin 'with'it the rod 9and the valve 10 is move further away from the seat 11. At the sametime, the lower edge of the piston 8 uncovers from some or all of theopenings 6 and the gas passes through the said openings 6 and enters thechamber 2 and flows from the chamber .2 through the outlet 4. Thepiston8 is held at an open position with relation to the opening 6 bythe pressure of the gas which is passi through the body '1. If thepressure of tbe gas becomes too great, the piston 1 is moved to agreater extent up into the chamber 2 carrying with it the rod 9 and thecontact 16 is brought into engagement with the terminal 18. Thus theelectric circuit is completed from the plug 22 over the wire 20 to theterminal 18, contact 16, rod 9, plug 7 body 1, wire 25 to the bell 24whichv is mounted and along wire 23 back to the plug.

Thus anaudible signal is sounded, and

. attention is attracted to the fact that the pressure of the gas orfluid which is passing through the body is increased above normalcondition and steps should be taken to reduce the pressure of the fluid.

In the event that the fluid should be cut 011' from the opening 3, thepressure is removed from under the piston 8 and under the tension of thespring 17, the rod 9 is forced downwardly carrying with it the piston 8and the iston closes-over the inner ends of all of t e openings 6 in theseptum wall 5. At the same time the valve member 10 is moved to a closedposition upon the H seat 11 at the upper end of the opening 3. Also atthe same time, the disk '16 is brought into engagement with the contact19 and an electric current is permitted to flow from the plug 22 overwires 20 and 21 through the body 1 along wire 25 to the bell 24 which issounded, thence over the wire 23 back to the plug. Therefore an audiblealarm is givenin the event that the pressure of the When the disk 6 ismoved in contact with the terminal 19, the lower side of the disk restsupon the upper arm of the bell crank lever At this time, the valve 10 isseated upon the u er end of the o ening 3 as hereinbefore escribed. Inor er to start or prime theapparatus, it is necessary for an opera:torto ush the rod 28 in an inward direction w ereby the bell crank leveris swung and the disk 16 is elevated slightl whereby the rod 9 is movedin'an upwar direction v and the valve 10 is moved for .a short distanceabove the valve seat 11 and out of contact with the same. Therefore thegas .or fluid may begin to flow through the opening 3 and as the saidfluid accumulates under the piston 8 the pressure becomes sufiicient toraise the piston and the rod as hereinbefore explains ascertainingapproximatel u In the form of the invention as shown in Figure 3 of'thedrawing a cap 13 covers the upper end of the b0 y 1, and the said cap 13is devoid of the slot 14 and series of graduations 15 as shown anddescribed in connection. with the form of the invention as illustratedin Fi ure 1. Therefore in the form as shown in igure 3, the means forthe pressure to which the id is subjecte is eliminated.

In the form of the invention as illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawing,a switch 21 is pivoted upon the terminal 19 and ma engage the terminal18 and the said switc 21 may be used as a substitute for the wire 21 asshown in Figure 1 of the drawing.

By the use of this form of switch and as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5,it is obviousthat the audible alarm 24 will be sounded in the event thatthe pressure of the fluid which is passing through the body 1 becomes inexcess of normal or falls below normal or is cut off altogether.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A pressure responsive switch for a gas flow alarm comprising a bodyhaving an inlet and an outlet opening, a plug located within the bodyand dividing the interior thereof into upper and lower compartments, aseptum wall located in the lower compartment and artially surroundingthe inlet opening, said septum wall being provided with a transverselydisposed opening, a piston mounted for movement over the opening in theseptum wall, a stem connected with the piston and passing through theplug, a valve carried at the lower end of the stem and adapted to closeover the inlet opening,'a cap connected with the body and forming a sideof the u per compartment, said rod passin throug the cap, the, caphaving a slot t rough which the rod ma be observed, there being providedat the edge of the slot, a series of graduations, a contact carried bythe rod, and spaced terminals carried by and insulated from the body andhaving their extremities disposed in the path of movement of the disk;

2. 'A pressure responsive switch for a gas flow alarm comprising a bodyhaving inlet and outlet openings, a septum wall disposed within the bodyand partially surrounding the inlet opening and provided with atransversely disposed opemng,-a piston mounted for movement along theseptum wall and adapted to close over the. opening therein, a stemcarried by the piston, a valve member carried by the stem and adapted toclose over the inlet opening, a contact member carried by the stem, andspaced electric terminals passing through the side of the body anddisposed at the opposite sides of the contact member and having theirend portions disposed in the path of movement of the contact member.

3. A pressure responsive switch for a gas flow alarm comprising a bodyhaving inlet and outlet openings, a septum wall located in the body andpartially surrounding the inlet opening and provided with a transverselydisposed opening, a piston arranged to move over the opening in the saidseptum wall, a stem connected with the piston, a valve carried by thestem and adapted to close over the inlet opening, a contact membercarried by the stem, spaced electric terminals having end portionsdisposed in the path of movement of the contact member, a bell cranklever pivoted in the body and having an arm disposed in the path ofmovement of the contact member, and a rod passing through the side ofthe body and adapted to operate the bell crank lever to move the stemand unseat the valvefromthe inlet opening of the bod In testimonywliereof I have afiixed my signature.

HARRY CAPPELLANTI.

